jazz2love

Album:  Quartet Vol 1 Artist:  Takeshi Asai Label:  Fono Bono Records Websites:  http://www.takeshiasai.com http://epk.takeshiasai.com/ Pianist-composer Takeshi Asai puts modern day sagas to music.  His latest release Quartet Vol 1 from Fono Bono Records parlays a string of stories into emotionally stirring compositions that incite audiences to reflect, to escape, and to daydream.  A savant at creating atmospheric soundscapes, Asai encapsulates decades of experiences into 9 original tracks, each expressive and each a log taken from a memoir. Upbeat and sublime, "Minor Holiday" brandishes a bopping groove tailored by bass player Bob Gingery and drummer Brian Woodruff, as Hashem Assadullahi's alto sax dazzles with improvised chord patterns.  Asai's keys joins in the cheerful mood with a pulsating vamp, culminatiing into a gamut of pyrotechnics.  The recording slows to a daydreamy atmosphere through "On-Hold Music." as Assadullahi's sax weaves loung...

Album:  Trio Vol. VI Artist:  Takeshi Asai Label:  Fono Bono Records Websites: http://www.takeshiasai.com/index.html http://triov6.takeshiasai.com http://epk.takeshiasai.com Trio Vol. VI , the 6th trio album from pianist-arranger-composer-producer Takeshi Asai showcases his versatility as a jazz improviser, a straight-ahead jazz raconteur, and a torch song balladeer.  Joined by his longtime partners, bassist Bob Gingery and drummer Brian Woodruff, Asai takes audiences along a series of vignettes clad in daydreaming reflections and expressive phrasing.  The album includes 9 original compositions written by Takeshi, many of whom are dedicated to popular figures, and one popular song, "Fire and Rain" penned by James Taylor. A conceptual orator, Asai's performance affects listeners powerfully, rousing their mental sensibilities to conceive picturesque landscapes along the lulling swells of "Iota" and "Mes Demoiselles," which is dedicated to Pablo Picasso. ...